The Town of North Hempstead issued a cease and desist order on July 9 for a cell tower being built on the Roslyn Highlands fire station until the Building Department has the opportunity to inspect it, said a Town of North Hempstead public information official.
“Up until now, the Building Department has been refused access to inspect the installation,” Councilman Peter Zuckerman, wrote in an email.
The Verizon-contracted tower has also not given the town a radio frequency field report so the town has not been able to evaluate how it will measure up to Federal Communications Commission guidelines, Zuckerman said.
The town first received an application for the tower on Sept. 2, 2016, said town Director of Communications Carole Trottere. Its application was approved this past January and construction began in May.
The town issued the cease and desist order July 9 because neither Verizon nor its contractor ever notified the building inspector about construction or scheduled an inspection, Trottere said.
“The Town’s Building Department and the Town Attorney’s office are exploring all options in this matter,” she said in an email. “The Fire Department granted access to the roof on July 12, 2019, for verification of actions taken thus far.”
The Roslyn Highlands Fire Department declined to comment.
“Due to FCC restrictions relating to cell phone towers, the Town Attorney, in conjunction with outside counsel, is reviewing all options available to the Town relating to this issue,” Zuckerman wrote.
A resident sent a letter to neighbors alerting them of the tower installation, citing concerns about radio frequency exposure affecting health.
“In 2008 we fought against the installation of cell towers at Sunharbor, and we won,” the letter says. “So why were the cell phone towers allowed now? The residents within close proximity of the Firehouse were not notified. Nobody seems to have known about this.”
